First-Years Need Respect

When I was in fourth grade, students regularly had their prized "slap bracelets" taken away from them in the middle of class.

"You can have it back at the end of the year," my teacher would bark as she stashed bracelet after bracelet away in the depths of her desk.

I remember feeling a child's sense of injustice over the incidents--even though I now realize that she was only looking out for our safety and her own sanity. Yet, when I returned to Harvard last week from spring break and heard about the search and seizure that had begun to take place in the first-year dorms, I couldn't help but be reminded of my elementary school years, feeling that same sense of powerlessness. It just didn't seem fair.

Now, no Harvard student is looking to die in a fiery blaze, but this eleven-day inspection for items deemed to be fire hazards did nothing to enhance respect for the authority of the Freshmen Dean's Office (FDO). Nor did it provide any kind of long-term fix for the fire hazard problem.

The intentions were good. I fully realize that Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans did not order the inspection because she was looking to increase her personal supply of coffee makers. I believe that she truly is concerned for the safety of her students and felt that she did what she had to do.

But it didn't have to happen this way.

Students are upset. We feel violated. And it's not simply because some people got caught. Sure, everyone knew the rules. And I see the rationale behind denying us advance notice--most people would have just hidden their stuff.

But Harvard Yard Operations did not tell students what they took. There were no notes posted listing what items were confiscated and why they were deemed hazardous. There was no official announcement given to all first-years upon our return saying items could be redeemed at the end of the year.

We came back to our College homes and were left to figure out for ourselves if anything was missing.

Maybe the FDO deems this search a success because they feel they finally were able to catch the students off-guard and therefore really get to the heart of the fire hazard problem by removing as many items as possible.

Well, congratulations, but it's only a short-term solution. It didn't fix the problem because there is little remorse among the first-year class.

"I only wish I'd hidden it better," students lament as they complain about having to shell out more money to buy a new appliance. "Next time, I'll be more careful."

One of the reasons that students don't respect the fire hazard regulations in the first place is because they don't fully understand the rationale behind banning certain items. If the problem was severe enough that Dean Nathans felt she needed to order a full-out confiscation, then she is probably able to provide a pretty good argument as to why students shouldn't be allowed to have these items in dorm rooms.

But there was no dialogue, no chance for students and administrators to try to come to some sort of understanding on the issue.

I'm glad that my fourth grade teacher wanted me to be safe. I'm glad that the College wants to protect me as well. But we're not little kids anymore. Maybe back in fourth grade I couldn't properly debate the hazards of slap bracelets and teachers were justified in confiscating them for the students' own good. But we're supposed to be adults now in the eyes of the University. We should be able to enter into an intelligent discussion of the fire safety issue.

But that didn't happen. So, we feel like fourth graders, our opinions and rights not respected. It's everyone's goal to prevent fires in the dorms, but this type of treatment continues to promote an "us against them" spirit among students with regard to administrators.

Maybe no type of discussion with students would have worked and the inspection still would have been necessary for our own good. But if they didn't want to tell us they were coming, they at least could have shown us enough respect to leave a note detailing what they took.

Maybe the FDO doesn't feel like they owe the violators anything because those students broke the rules. But, come on, let's be practical. If students are made to feel like victims of the solution, then they will never show proper respect for the problem of fire hazards--and they will remain just as vulnerable as they were before.

Heather B. Long, a Crimson editor, is a first-year in Weld Hall.